How the Medical Sector uses Mobile Technology to Improve Patient Care and Relationships

By: John Tomblin, Senior Solutions Architect
Data Titan, a division of Sofvue, LLC
Printed with permission of Sofvue, LLC and the author.

When you bundle both cell phones and smartphones in the same bucket, it results in 97% of Americans owning a phone, but even when you take out “cell” phone ownership, the number of people who own a “smart” phone is still a staggering 85%, and for good reason.  Nearly every business in the country, in some form, relies on smartphones for all sorts of daily activities, such as managing schedules, staying connected with sales reps in the field, getting updates from staff using text, finding and buying computer equipment, and the list goes on.   

Recent innovations in healthcare have opened up all types of connectivity opportunities in healthcare, not only in patient care but in doctor-to-nurse and nurse-to-doctor communications.  For patient care, burgeoning markets are popping up everywhere.  Who hasn’t seen the commercials offering real-time EKG results using your smartphone, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Wearable and ingestible sensors are being used today that allow reading tools to be used from mobile apps to improve patient treatment, something that thirty years ago, or even ten years ago, was science fiction.  

Don’t believe me? Let’s catch you up with some amazing mobile healthcare statistics:

·    The global mHealth market was valued at $50.7 in 2021 and is expected to reach $130.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11% from 2022 to 2030. (Source)
·    As of Q1 2022, 52,565 healthcare and medical apps were available on the Google Play Store. (Source)
·    Venture capital investments in digital health during the first half of 2021 already surpassed the total investments in 2020 by 138%. (Source)

Before we move on to how the medical sector is leveraging mobile technology to its advantage, let’s understand mHealth. 

What Is mHealth?

mHealth is an abbreviation for Mobile Health and refers to the use of smartphones, wearables, and other portable devices to access healthcare services and health records, as well as provide better quality patient care. The term mHealth also refers to the use of mobile devices doctors use to analyze a patient's health over time without having to meet them physically. Moreover, mHealth is referenced when doctors are trying to get the latest medical research and drug information and learn new practices online. 

The Different Types of Mobile Applications Used to Improve Patient Care and Relationships

There are multiple types of mobile apps that can help doctors and hospitals better understand, diagnose, and treat patients. 

• Patient medical health tracking apps
• Doctor appointment and clinical assistance apps
• Doctor on-demand apps (also known as telehealth apps)
• Chronic condition monitoring apps
• Medical diagnosis apps for preventive purposes
• Mental health apps

With the right type of discovery efforts, our mobile app development company can help you truly understand the right type of app that’s best for your customers and patients, as well as research the best features your app should offer. 

How Is Mobile Technology Revolutionizing the Medical Industry?

There are numerous ways mobile applications (apps) can help improve patient care and relationships. Here are a few.

1- Enables Real-time Health Monitoring Via Wearables

Wearable technology is designed to enhance users’ lifestyles and monitor their fitness activities. The latest smartwatches can even monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level. 

And while they cannot predict when a heart attack might occur, they can definitely identify heart anomalies and rhythm abnormalities that often occur before a heart attack. 

Additionally, wearables help physicians: 

·    Securely monitor patients’ daily activities.
·    Compare data from different patients to understand whether a patient’s condition is improving or deteriorating and make informed risk assessments. 
·    Discover and identify new disease-related insights early on. 

Case in point, The Philips Company (https://www.usa.philips.com) offers a wearable biosensor that helps practitioners diagnose the possibility of a near-term cardiac or respiratory arrest in high-risk patients.  

2- Faster Access to Patient Care

Gone are the days when patients were required to make an appointment to see the doctor. Today, patients can see the doctor of their choice at any time of the day, thanks to an ever-increasing telehealth app marketplace. 

Patients now have options.  They can talk to a doctor, nurse, or PA through messaging apps, and audio, or video calls (without taking prior appointments). They can also set up appointments from the same app for complex needs. 

3- Medication Adherence

Once patients are diagnosed or discharged from a hospital, it becomes difficult to control how and when they take their medication. Many older patients can even forget to take their medications on time. Poor medication adherence is one of the significant reasons that patients are readmitted to a hospital, and always under unfavorable circumstances. 

To alleviate this from happening on a continual basis, many mobile apps have reminder features that nudge patients to take their medications on time. They can also renew prescriptions or adjust to a new treatment when required, all through a mobile app.

4- Efficiency Increases within a Healthcare Institution

While this is related directly to how a healthcare institution functions, it still impacts patient care. 

A custom-designed mobile app can help physicians: 

·    Access a patient’s medical history instantly, improving response times. 
·    View a patient’s recent prescriptions and other critical information.
·    Collaborate with other physicians for complex issues that result in better care.
·    Manage appointments to ensure they give appropriate time to each patient. 

Additionally, custom-designed mobile apps can support Administrative Staff: 

·    Collect patient data, including their signature, quickly. 
·    Coordinate records with insurance providers, suppliers, and other third-party vendors instantly. 
·    Mitigate administrative errors.

Wrapping Up

The growth of the medical services sector continues to rise.  With an aging baby boom population, explosive growth in cosmetic surgery, and the continual rise in medical service needs, medical service and vendor support services will only continue to grow.  Being one of the most experienced mobile app development companies in Arizona, we can help you harness the power of mobile technology to improve both administrative and patient care and relationships. To learn more, contact us at 623-845-2747

CITATIONS:

Source:  Grandview Research
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mhealth-market

Source:  Statista
https://www.statista.com/statistics/779919/health-apps-available-google-play-worldwide/

Source:  Fierce Healthcare
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/digital-health/telehealth-funding-soars-to-4-2b-record-shattering-2021

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